was the first remains of Australopithecus
africansus found,
the skull of a child in a box of bones
of monkeys, hyraxes, and gazelles given to Raymond Dart
who chaired the anatomy department
at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
Dart realized that the skull was evidence
of an early previously unknown human-like hominid,
and for over twenty years Dart’s claims
were disregarded
because he was not part of the scientific community.
Rare and strange
Australopithecus africansus lived
between two
and three million years ago, during the Lower
Paleolithic.
The skull of the Tuang child was found
in a breccia-filled cave that blasting at the
limeworks had exposed.
Bones of this species are rare, having been
found only
at Taung, Sterkfontein, Makapansgat, and Gladysvale in
southern Africa.
The fact that evidence has survived is strange;
that anyone
found it is strange; that Dart understood its significance
is also strange.
Descent
The brothers and sisters of Jesus
are those who love him,
so we make our family
by loving others.
Extinct and precious creatures—
Cambrian oddities, Archaeopteryx,
Neanderthals, and the Tuang child
—are my lost children.
Birds of all sizes—
gold finches and sparrows,
egrets and kestrels
—are my brothers and sisters.
I love all baby animals;
I love flowers that wither in the hot sun;
I love stray cats and squirrels;
I love whales; I love trees,
salmon, bears, wolves, and deer;
I love spiders that others step on;
I love suicides and victims of violence;
I love those who are lost in their heads;
I love hungry children and I love parents
who go hungry for their children.
These are all family to me.
Some think that Au. africansus was a direct ancestor of Homo
sapiens sapiens; others think that it more likely evolved into Paranthropus
robustus, which is not in our direct line. Biological altruism
should extend to all life on Earth because we all share a common
genetic inheritance.
Some think that Au. africansus was a direct ancestor of Homo sapiens sapiens; others think that it more likely evolved into Paranthropus robustus, which is not in our direct line. Biological altruism should extend to all life on Earth because we all share a common genetic inheritance.
See also in The book of science:
Readings on wikipedia:
Other readings: